Worldwide eSports viewer numbers 2020-2025, by type

The eSports market has boomed in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch their favorite games being played by some of the best gamers in the world. By 2025, there are expected to be over 318 million eSports enthusiasts worldwide, a significant increase from the 215.2 million in 2020. Additionally, some 322.7 million people are forecast to be occasional viewers of eSports by 2025.

Leading eSports tournaments

The most watched eSports event of all time is the 2021 Free Fire World Series, a Garena Free Fire tournament hosted by Singapore. With millions of viewers tuning in to watch expert gamers battle it out, it is unsurprising that large sums of money are at stake. The International 2021, which was the tenth edition of the annual DOTA 2 world championship, had a combined prize pool of over 40 million U.S. dollars. In addition, the cumulative prize pool for DOTA 2 tournaments around the world in 2021 stood at a huge 47.8 million U.S. dollars.